


Cautious Mornings

by irlenolacroix



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Morning Kisses, Mornings, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), so dont kill me if this isnt canon compliant, yeahhhhhh i havent seen civil war in forever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-05-16 01:10:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19307587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irlenolacroix/pseuds/irlenolacroix
Summary: Mornings were still tread with caution, even in the weeks afterward. To wake up in silence still felt fraught with unwanted possibility rather than being a welcome escape from the preceding days’ chaos. Bucky had hoped deep inside of him for a few quiet mornings, just a little time to figure things out, but now the lack of action left him completely alone with his thoughts and every unoccupied second was nothing more than a vessel for guilt and frustration. His brain still didn’t feel like his own. His body belonged to a charred and stiff stranger. He had never known his knees to creak before.500-word Stucky commission for a friend. Post- Civil War. Pure angsty fluff.





	Cautious Mornings

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, thank you so much for checking this fic out!
> 
> Quick disclaimer: I haven't seen Civil War in a VERY long time, so forgive me if there are some minor inconsistencies here with canon. This also takes place in a universe where Infinity War doesn't happen (because fuck that movie), but that isn't super apparent in the text.
> 
> Also! This was a commission for a friend, and I do commissions at a rate of $2 per 150 words (very inexpensive!). If you're interested in a commission, please either contact me here or via my tumblr, winemomparker.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading this fic, I hope you enjoy!!! :)

Mornings were still tread with caution, even in the weeks afterward. To wake up in silence still felt fraught with unwanted possibility rather than being a welcome escape from the preceding days’ chaos. Bucky had hoped deep inside of him for a few quiet mornings, just a little time to figure things out, but now the lack of action left him completely alone with his thoughts and every unoccupied second was nothing more than a vessel for guilt and frustration. His brain still didn’t feel like his own. His body belonged to a charred and stiff stranger. He had never known his knees to creak before.

“Was this inevitable?”

Bucky heard Steve turn away from his sketchbook to face him. Steve had taken to drawing again in the days since the stress had peaked. The view from the window was something of a muse now.

“What do you mean, Buck?”

Bucky’s mouth felt dry in more ways than the usual dryness of early morning speech. “I mean…” He cleared his throat slightly. “You know what I mean. Everything.” His blue eyes wandered along the contours of the wall before finally landing on Steve’s left shoulder, too apprehensive to meet his gaze. “Just wondering to myself, I mean, if it could have… If this is how it needed to be. If it could have happened in another way, you know.”

Bucky saw Steve’s outline soften a little, then grow as Steve moved to sit beside him. “Intense thoughts on a Sunday morning, huh?”

A half-chuckle pushed itself through Bucky’s breath. “I guess.”

Steve was quiet, then moved to wrap one arm around Bucky, gently, slowly. When Bucky didn’t move away, Steve relaxed into the position and moved his free hand to rest gently on Bucky’s knee. “You’re not a bad person, Buck.”

Bucky closed his eyes, resisting the temptation to lean into Steve’s touch. “Could I have prevented it all?”

The quiet from Steve lasted just a moment too long and Bucky almost moved to stand up, go stand on a balcony and feel the wind and scream until his throat closed, but before he could, Steve spoke.

“I don’t know.” Steve’s voice was soft. “I don’t know whether we could have prevented it. But I… I do know that what happened, happened. And as messed-up and shitty as all of it was…” Steve turned to gaze at Bucky’s face in profile. “It happened, and now we’re here. And now all we can do is grow from it, and be better.”

Bucky sighed softly and, at long last, looked over at Steve. “Am I a bad person?”

“No.” Steve’s response was immediate, and he held Bucky closer. “No.”

Bucky thought about protesting. His head swirled with retorts to Steve’s assertion, the knowledge of what he had done, the self-hatred that was too strong to be false. How could he be good now? How could he be good after all of this?

But Steve’s touch calmed him, and for just a moment, he managed to quiet his mind and focus on the sound of Steve’s breath. He leaned into the contact and closed his eyes. His muscles loosened, melting into the warmth of his companion.

Mornings were still tread with caution. Eggshells littered every morning floor and hair-triggers found themselves present in every passing thought. That would not change. But Bucky’s steps would become more sure of themselves, his mind more adaptable to the changes from within. And Steve would be there, every time.

He kissed his mouth, and the silence was merciful.


End file.
